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Yes, that's what my Tiger Stripe Maple top looked like.
There's a definite layer of timber between the veneer and main body piece (alder in your case).

However, I will say that you don't need to be overly afraid of sanding the veneer, just be sensible. Don't go at it with a power tool and 80 grit paper!
IMO hand-sanding with 240, you'd almost have to try to burn through the veneer. As it's maple, it doesn't require any grain filling and shouldn't need that much sanding full stop.

Even with doing a black coat first, if you follow Simon's advice about not saturating the veneer, you should be fine.

Looking forward to seeing your progress!